Nightmares and Dreams
by FedoraGirl90
Summary: Two weeks after the events with Sephiroth's rebirth, Cloud has been having odd dreams. And what's with this voice? It sounds so familiar. Headaches and a searing pain in Cloud's right shoulder distract him every minute of every day.


**Nightmare and Dreams**

Cobalt blue eyes flew open in the dead hours of the night. Cloud bolted straight up from the warm confines of his bed, covered in cold sweat. Shaky hands brushed through his damp, spiky, blond hair as he put his head in his hands. His trembling breaths sent shivers up his drenched skin.

Cloud's head felt like someone was pounding continuously on his skull, causing him to clench his eyes and teeth against the pain. After what seemed like hours, the headache subsided, only to give way to a new pain in his right shoulder. Instantly his left had went to rub away the burning sensation.

This had been happening every night since his last encounter with Sephiroth, two weeks ago. The headaches and constant pain in his shoulder were only the tip of the iceberg. Nightmares plagued Cloud's unconsciousness on a nightly basis, the headaches weren't as bad during the day, but they were there nonetheless, and his mind wandered aimlessly, he couldn't concentrate on anything.

For the rest of the night, Cloud tried to seize some sleep, but alas it ran from him laughing at his despair.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, after he was sure Tifa was awake; he crept down to the kitchen to get something to eat. His appetite may have been diminished in the last few weeks, but something was better than nothing when it came to his stomach.

He was sitting in the bar waiting for Tifa to bring breakfast. During the first crisis with Sephiroth, she opened a bar named Seventh Heaven, which became a base for the rebel group AVALANCHE.

He could see the worry in Tifa's eyes when he caught her staring at him after one of his brief spells of his mind wandering off. He hadn't told anyone about his condition; he couldn't bare the pressure of their concerned side-glances, just waiting for him to collapse. _She must think I'm returning to my old ways. Back when I had the Geostigma, I stared off in to the distance a lot. I also stayed out late every night, so I could be sure she was asleep when I came home. I won't leave her this time, not again. There's nothing for her to worry about. _He saw her hair fly back when she turned suddenly in the kitchen. His face remained expressionless, but on the inside he was smiling. _Maybe I should tell her that I won't leave, that those days are over. I should tell her a lot of things, but – _

Sudden pain erupted in his head, sending his mind into orbit. All of his mako enhanced senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing, refused to function. He felt like he was spinning incredibly fast with no hope of stopping. Just as soon as it came, it had ended, but not before sending Cloud to the ground. As he recollected himself he found he was on the floor, huddled over his hands and knees. It took a minute to slow down his breathing. Upon hearing Tifa's footsteps coming through the door, he abruptly stood up hoping to stop her from seeing him on the floor. He was too late though. As he was rising, he noticed Tifa's studying eyes.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" she quickly placed his plate on the bar and approached him, eyes never leaving him.

"Yeah, just fine. I was just…getting some glass off the floor. Marlene and Denzel are always running around out here. I didn't want them to get hurt," he lied, his head still throbbing.

It seemed like she was about the challenge him, but then she said, "Thank you. We don't have enough money to pay for stitches." She began walking back to the bar, "Come and eat before your breakfast gets cold."

Tifa knew something was wrong. This wasn't the first time she saw Cloud suddenly stand up when she entered the room. _As long as he sticks around, I won't pester him. But…_She looked back at her blond companion. _He looks so sick_. His face was paler than usual, his normally spiky hair wasn't, and his skin glistened with sweat. _I'll give him a few days, but if he doesn't get better, I'm sneaking antibiotic into his supper._ _And then I'll give him a lecture._ Coming out of her scheming, she noticed she was still staring at Cloud, with a smile on her face, no less, and he didn't even glance up. When he was healthy nothing would escape his attention, especially if he was being stared at. _What has him so far away from here? Is the sickness worst than he's letting on?_ As she watched him, she saw his mako enhanced blue eyes give way to a dead blue-gray. His features were tense, as if he were in immense pain. _To hell with it_. Without realizing it, she made her way to his side in an instant. Her hand went directly to his forehead, like a mother to her child, before he could react. _My god, his fever is so high. _She gazed searchingly into Cloud's eyes, but he wouldn't or couldn't make eye contact.

Tifa repeated her question from earlier, "Cloud, are you alright? You can talk to me," silence. "You haven't been yourself in the past few days. Cloud, look at me." His fist clenched tightly on his leg and his breathing became irregular. "Can you hear me? You have to tell me what's going on. I can't help you if you leave me in the dark!" Slowly, Cloud's eyes refocused as beads of sweat ran down the outskirts of his face. He immediately looked up into Tifa's deep brown eyes. Before he could conceal his emotions, she saw his fear in its entirety. His eyes were so intense with the fear; it sent shivers up her spine.

Instead of berating him with questions like she usually did, she grabbed his arm and gently led him up into his room. "I…I'm fine, it was…just a headache…" Despite his protests, his mind was still in a haze and his body wouldn't obey any of his objections. When they reached Cloud's side of the bed, Tifa pushed on his shoulders, tacitly telling him to sit and took off his boots and socks. Then she took off his jacket, but when she took removed his shirt she had to repress a gasp when she saw an infected wound on his right shoulder. From the look on his face, removing the shirt was painful. She proceeded by forcing him to lie down, and brought his bed sheets over him. He was drifting off again to avoid the pain.

She pet his hair as she said, "I'll be back with some towels and medicine." _Why didn't he say anything earlier? That wound is infected. He is always caring for everyone else, but he neglects to care for himself in the meantime. _At the door she turned around to see Cloud. He looked so helpless under the covers with sweat covering his visage. _Its painful to see him like this._ Tifa slowly closed the door behind her and went to get antibiotics.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cloud slipped into unconsciousness swiftly after Tifa left. The dream started in a field of yellow flowers, _Aerith's flowers__**. **_Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene were in the distance playing tag. _Aerith would be furious, people aren't supposed to step on the flowers. _ Cloud smiled to himself. He took a closer look at his little family. For some reason Tifa was wearing Aerith's pink dress, and had her hair the same way too, tied back into a ponytail by a pink ribbon. He began walking toward the happy threesome, but a few steps in he tripped over something. Turning around, he saw that what he tripped over was a body; a body wearing Tifa's clothes and hairstyle. But this one had brunette hair, not ebony. _Aerith!?_

Before he could investigate further, he was thrust into another scene. He was in the Forgotten City, where Aerith summoned the Holy Materia in an attempt to stop Sephiroth's Meteor. Cloud was standing in the same spot as last time, right by her side. She smelled of calililies, like she used to. It felt right, being next to her. She was his calm, who brought him back to who he was. She made him realize that he wasn't alone anymore. He suddenly began to feel Sephiroth taking control of his body. Unlike last time, he wasn't unable to fight back. He could feel his arms rise above his head, sword at the ready. Cloud watched in horror as his blade, not Sephiroth's pierced her stomach. Without a word, Aerith fell to her knees. He was then released from his control and he dropped down to check on her near lifeless body. She was staring up at him with an accusing look. "Why, Cloud?" was the last thing she said before the light left her eyes forever.

"NO!!!" There was utter darkness all around him in an instant. Not a sound could be heard, no scent to be smelled, absolutely nothing.

Then Cloud heard a voice. At first it was too far away to discern even a syllable, but once it got closer its voice became distinct.

"Cloud," it called maliciously.

"Who's there?" he demanded, getting into a defensive stance, still reeling from the last scene.

"Cloud," the voice repeated.

"What do you want?!" he swung his sword around him. _Just shut up already. I know my own name!_

"Cloud. I'm going to kill you."

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Tifa carefully made her way back to Cloud's room, juggling a bowl of water, towels, cotton swabs, and medicine. Climbing the stairs she could hear a voice coming from upstairs. _What?_ She quickened her pace to discover what was troubling her companion.

The voice kept getting louder as she neared the entrance. Unfortunately it wasn't loud enough to sate her curiosity, so she opened the door. As soon as she turned the knob, the voice was gone. Entering the room was like entering a freezer when she stepped further inside. Cloud was shivering and breathing heavily as she grabbed a chair to sit next to him. He was mumbling something incoherent and moving his head from side to side.

"Leave me… alone, stop…talking," he furrowed his brow in pain and confusion.

"Wake up. It's just a nightmare. I'm here, everything's alright," Tifa shook his arm.

"_Tifa? Where'd she come from,"_ he moved around searching for her in his dream state.

Cloud calmed down upon hearing her voice. _What fever is this?_ She dipped a cloth into the water-filled bowl and strained the water out. Leaning over she placed the cool compress on his forehead. _An infection wouldn't cause him this much pain; he's endured worst countless times before. _Her hand went down to his shoulder, pushing the covers over. The wound was hot and throbbing under her touch. As soon as she made contact, Cloud let out a groan. The infection was spreading to his chest. She grabbed the cotton swab, took a sample, and placed it in a bag. _I'll have Vincent test this. _Setting the swab aside she grabbed a bandage and dressed the wound. Then she snagged the medicine and poured it into a cup.

"I hope this helps. I hate seeing you like this, Cloud. Is this the reason you left so suddenly when you had the Geostigma?" She lifted his head off the pillow, causing him to open his eyes.

"What are…" he questioned half drowsy with his eyes barely open. She could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"Shhh, drink this medicine." Tifa coaxed. Reluctantly, he took the medicine and she laid his head back down. Cloud rarely ever took medicine for anything. He hated relying on pills to ease pain. "You have a high fever and your wound is infected. Why didn't you tell me? All of this would have been avoided. Why do you insist on hiding these things from me?" she pushed herself further back into the chair, tears threatening to fall, but her searching eyes never left his.

He was looking at her with his eyes clouded over, seeking to say something, but then he turned away. Complete silence fell between them. Tifa dropped her gaze and let out an aggravated breath. Another minute passed and she got up to leave.

Just as her hand was on the door, Cloud called to her. "Tifa," his voice was quiet and pleading. She turned around. Cloud had sat up and his head was bent down covering his eyes, when he said, "I'm sorry," She was instantly by his side, urging him to go on. Seeing her so close to him again, he looked up. _What else does she want me to say?_ "Tifa, I'm not…I don't…"he breathed out and broke eye contact.

"I'm not looking for an apology, Cloud. I want you to let me in, to tell me when something is wrong." She backed up a little. "Remember your promise back in Nibelheim? Well, it goes both ways. You protect me and I protect you. You aren't alone anymore, can't you see that?"

"I know I'm not alone. I'm trying to change, but…its proving harder than I thought." He confessed.

She was about to fall over. _He's opening up! After all this time, Cloud is finally coming back. After the incident with Aerith and then Sephiroth, he seemed to go into himself. I thought I lost him forever. _She brought herself out of her reverie. "I've patched you up many time before, though. Why didn't you come to me?"

"This wound was already healed. After the explosion at the Shinra building something happened and all the wounds I had were gone." He explained.

"What happened?" she pushed, hoping to keep him talking.

He was remembering something; she could it through his eyes. "I…don't remember," he lied. _Liar_. Cloud's hand went up to his head. "I think your medicine is taking affect."

"Its time for you to get some rest then." She stood and gently pushed him to lie down, covering him with sheets.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fresh morning light filled the Seventh Heaven. Dust was dancing to its own tune, swirling and twisting in the air. Worn chairs were up on the tables as the floor shined with water. Tifa was putting up the mop with the phone to ear, waiting for Vincent to answer.

"Hello, Tifa." A dark voice breathed.

"Vincent. Could you come to the Seventh Heaven?" Tifa tried to sound casual.

"When?"

"As soon as possible, if you can." She requested as she examined the swab in her hand.

"I'll come by later today." He finished.

"Alright, see you soon, " Tifa hung up the phone, eyeing the swab in her hand.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Marlene and Denzel ran through the door laughing, "Tifa! Tifa! You wouldn't believe what happened today!"

Tifa knelt down and gave them a small smile. "Shhh, you two. What happened?"

Denzel looked around, "Where's Cloud? We want to tell him too," After the rebirth of Sephiroth, Cloud started taking off on the weekends so he could be with his family. Today was Saturday.

"Why don't you tell me first? Cloud's not feeling well so he's upstairs resting," Tifa's eyes wandered toward the stairs. Returning downstairs she said, "I'll tell him later for you, ok?"

"Ok!" they both agreed. Denzel went on with the story, "So we were at the park and this giant moogle waddled up to us. Before he could so much as wave, Pluto pounced on him. The poor moogle didn't stand a chance. It was so distraught and Pluto kept jumping circles around him. Eventually the moogle toppled over and then Pluto bounded onto his chest and licked his face!" Both doubled over in laughter with Tifa giggling with them.

After they settled down, Marlene asked, "Could we get Cloud some flowers? Maybe he'll feel better; I know I do when I have my favorite flowers. Can we go to the Church? It's the only place that has his favorite." Marlene bounced up and down, "Oh please, please, Tifa?"

She was hesitant at first, but then figured it wasn't that far and Pluto would be with them. Tifa had no idea where Pluto came from, he just showed up one day last week bounding after the kids. Ever since then he's been part of the family. "Alright, bring Pluto with you and come right back, ok?"

"Alright!!" Denzel and Marlene high-fived each other and ran out the door in search of Pluto. Tifa was left alone in the kitchen smiling to herself. _They really care about Cloud. _She proceeded cleaning shaking her head.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At first it seemed like Cloud would have a dreamless sleep. Nothing was all that surrounded him. But then the voice returned and he realized he was in the same black plane he visited in the last dream.

"Cloud," _That voice is back again. Why does it sound so familiar?_

"Who the hell are you?!" he was getting frustrated. "Show your face."

"Ah, Cloud. I'm offended. Surely you haven't forgotten so soon." Searing pain coursed through his shoulder as a sudden stabbing pressure was put on it. He fell to his knees, and broke from the unconsciousness.

Cloud wasn't the only occupant in his room. A man with flowing silver hair, piercing eyes, and a large black wing, was hovering over the struggling blond, sword piercing his shoulder. He grabbed the blade to take it out, but Sephiroth wouldn't relent his weight and to increase the torture, he twisted his blade just enough to make Cloud cry out.

_ _ _

Tifa heard Cloud and immediately dropped the plate of food she prepared for him. Just when she was at the base of the stairs, Vincent showed up at her door. From the look he gave, he had heard as well and followed her up to Cloud's room.

_ _ _

"I told you I would never be a memory." Sephiroth was fading in and out of Cloud's vision, the pain becoming too much to handle. His nemesis gave him a malicious smile, "If you're not too weak from the poison I gave you, come to Midgar, alone, and I'll spare the brats." He slowly pulled the sword out of Cloud's shoulder and heard him groan in agony. He left with a smile on his face.

___________________________________________________

Cloud tried to get up and chase after Sephiroth, bleeding shoulder and all, but then Tifa and Vincent slammed through the door. Tifa froze at the sight of his shoulder. He was getting ready to stand up, hand held tightly to his wound. She went to his side, stopping his attempt, pulling bandages out of his side table.

"Hold it, Cloud. What happened? Who did this?" she cried as she cleaned his wound. His fever still hadn't gone down and with the added pain he was paler. Cloud's eyes were back to normal, the mako blue shining more brilliantly than they ever have. He was mentally focused and ready for a fight.

"Sephiroth…he's back," he hissed, inhaling sharply as Tifa applied pressure. "He has Marlene and…Denzel. I have to –"

"You are not going in your condition," she threw the swab sample from earlier to Vincent. "What is it?"

Leaning against the doorframe, the red-cloaked figure with one mechanical prosthetic opened the bag, took a sniff, and declared, "It's called Nightshade poisoning. If someone is given too much, they die instantly, and if not, they are plagued by nightmares. It weakens the mind and body significantly and there is only one antidote, Yarrow seed. Nightshade is a dangerous concoction that can only be applied to an open wound; a wound that you already have. Let Tifa and I deal with Sephiroth, you need the antidote."

"No. He'll kill them if I don't go alone," he attempted again to stand up, only to be pushed back down by Tifa.

"You can barely stand, let alone walk!!" She turned her attention to Vincent, "Could you get the antidote?"

Seeing their determination, Vincent relented, "Alright. Try to stay alive until I get the antidote, Cloud." He immediately left, his cloak gliding in the air behind him.

"I'm going with you whether you like it or not." Tifa demanded having finished bandaging him up, and gave him her Or-else-I'll-give-you-a-lecture face.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tifa was under Cloud's arm, supporting him, since he looked like he was going to pass out. The wound in his shoulder was proving to be a nuisance with every step. Cloud insisted on carrying his sword, "To get used to the pain". Even though she did patch him up, his shoulder refused to stop bleeding. _If he'd put his sword on his back, it wouldn't be so painful and he would stop losing blood!! I can't believe my truck died!_ They had reached the border of Edge in the truck, but then the engine blew. Cloud's condition still hadn't improved much. They were forced to walk the rest of the way. She scowled at his dim-witted plan of getting ready.

Their progress was slow, but eventually they made it to Midgar.

"Remember our promise. You protect me and I protect you. We both protect Marlene and Denzel." Tifa reminded her blond companion. He nodded in response, his mako eyes never leaving the city ahead of them.

_ _ _

The looming Shinra tower was surprisingly still standing, even after Meteor, the reborn Sephiroth and the explosion. Reaching the base, Cloud and Tifa looked up. "He's up there." Cloud concluded. _I'll make him rue the day he ever came back into my life. _Newfound determination swelled within him, consuming him whole, and erasing all the mortal pains he had.

Tifa stepped back a little and smiled, feeling her Cloud come back to life. _He's back. Better watch out Sephiroth. _She could see some color returning to his skin, and the wound that was bleeding so much was almost gone. Cloud turned his gaze from the roof down to Tifa. He gave her a slight smile with his eyes gleaming cobalt blue. Then he bounded up the debris to reach Sephiroth, for hopefully, the last time. _Three strikes your out, right?_

_ _ _

Upon landing at the top Cloud found Marlene and Denzel huddled together near the opposite side. _Whew, they're safe. _He scanned around the area, looking for the source of all this trouble. He needn't look far, as the one-winged devil was standing a few yards away.

"You can let my kids go, Sephiroth. I'm here."

"I never break a promise. They may go, if they can." He laughed.

Cloud went over to the children. "Go on, its safe now. Tifa's waiting downstairs." They quickly gave him a hug and headed for the exit. "Beat him, Cloud!! You can get him!" they shouted back.

Sephiroth was still facing Cloud's entry point when he said, "But you see, the stairway leading up here was mysteriously dismantled." He turned around with the most malicious grin. Cloud put himself in front of the kids, sword in hand.

"What happened to your honor, Sephiroth?" he sneered.

"I kept my end of the bargain, and now you have too." He grabbed his Masamune, brining to the front. "I think that its time to finish this."

_I can't fight like this. Marlene and Denzel need to get off this building. _He looked around desperately for a place for them to hide. _Nowhere is safe, not with Sephiroth. He slices anything and everything. If only_ –

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud noise of an airship. He looked up to see _Shera_, Cid's airship. _– I had my friends here. _The ship lowered itself next to the roof.

"Yo, Spiky!!" yelled Barrett over the speaker. "Heard 'bout what's happenin'. We'll take Marlene and Denzel to safety, aright?" he stepped out onto the ledge. The kids ran to him and Cloud glanced back nodding his head with a smile on his face. As soon as the kids were onboard the airship left. "Don't get yerself killed!!" Barrett yelled.

With his worries gone, Cloud turned his attention back the patiently waiting Sephiroth. "Let's finish this!!" he shouted lifting his sword.

He made the first move, striking downward to cut off Sephiroth's arm. He countered with a blow of his own. Cloud tried again with a shove to his abdomen and the silvered haired beast parried it. They were making circles around each other with every attack and parry. Cloud jumped behind a small outcrop, which Sephiroth sliced in half. Their struggle leads them to ground level. Tifa was near the building, staying out of sight until and if she was needed.

"Did you enjoy those pleasant dreams of yours?" Sephiroth asked as he cut through a small bench. "I enjoyed watching you struggle with them."

Cloud didn't reply, but continued to hack away at his sword, anger rising.

"I especially liked the one where you called out for Aerith. Tell me, how was it watching her die by your own hands?" he was laughing.

"Shut up Sephiroth!!!" Cloud threw caution to the wind and lunged for the psychotic man. He nearly pierced his chest when Sephiroth swiftly moved out of the way. Before any other movements could be made, Cloud was kicked back into the nearest building, knocking the wind out of him. Sephiroth quickly advanced and Cloud kicked off the ground, sword at the ready. They crossed blades and pushed each other back. Sephiroth nicked Cloud's shoulder, causing blood to flow freely. They continued the pattern, attack/parry for what seemed like hours. Eventually Cloud began to lose his strength and had a massive headache.

"You don't look too good, Cloud. I probably should have mentioned that I entered more poison into your system." Then Sephiroth started a series of relentless attacks, sending Cloud into the defensive. They kept going backward. Tifa slowly followed them. _More poison? Come on Cloud fight it! _She could tell he was losing his grip and getting paler by the minute.

_I'm losing it. I can barely concentrate. My head…_Suddenly he crashed into a building and then he was pinned by Sephiroth's Masamune. He grimaced with the sudden onset of pain, coughing up blood. Sephiroth let go of his sword and went closer to Cloud. "See? I told you I would kill you." He looked up with half dazed eyes. _N…no…we're not done yet._

"Sephiroth!" a feminine voice yelled. _Tifa! Stay back!_ Cloud tried to pry the sword out, but to no avail. _No…Ti…fa. _His vision was getting out of focus. Then there was nothing.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"What do you want? I have business with Cloud." He glanced back at the still form on the building. "But, he can wait." Sephiroth lunged for Tifa, who dodged out of the way.

_I promised I would protect you Cloud. And that's just what I'll do. I just hope I live long enough for you to wake up. _Tifa threw her fist into Sephiroth's stomach. He returned the favor with a kick to her ribs. She was instantly thrown back. Tifa caught herself in time to avoid a fatal fall, and then got back into the fight.

"Why do you fight, Tifa Lockhart? I have taken everything you held dear away from you. Your father, village, Cloud…the list goes on." Sephiroth sneered.

"You may have in the past, but no longer Sephiroth! Shut up and fight me!" She growled.

"As you wish," and Sephiroth sent her flying back again. This time she wasn't as lucky and landed in a debris heap.

_Cloud wake up!! Please!!_ She tried getting up, but Sephiroth was looming over her threateningly.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Consciousness returned to Cloud as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything was spinning so fast, he couldn't remember where he was. He started to feel again and his attention was immediately brought to the huge sword sticking out of his ribs. Memories crashed down on him in an instant, as well as the feel of the wound. He winced against the pain and let out a small cry.

He heard a series of smacking and low grunts. As soon as he was able to focus his mind, he remembered that Tifa was down there with him. _Is she fighting him? _Slowly his eyes found the source of the noise. Tifa was laying down in a pile of debris, looking up at the one man that frightened him the most. _Tifa!!_ Fully conscious with blood racing with adrenaline, he grabbed the sword again and pushed. After many painful minutes, or was it seconds, or hours, he pulled the sword out. Dropping to the floor and coughing up more blood.

Tifa was backing farther away. _I have to hurry. _Cloud stood up, holding back the grunt that was threatening to break free. He raised the Masamune to his waist, feeling blood coat his shirt as he walked closer to the scene. He was a few feet behind Sephiroth ready to strike when Tifa looked his way. She looked relieved and worried at the same time. Sephiroth followed her gaze to Cloud and deflected the sword just in time. Tifa ran off in search of Cloud's sword, while they fought bare hands vs. long sword. _Even without a weapon, he's formidable. _Tifa returned baring Cloud's weapon.

"Cloud! Your sword!" She yelled throwing his heavy accessory. He caught it by the handle and threw Sephiroth's blade away from the clearing.

"You have tormented me for far too long, Sephiroth. Your life ends here and now!"

"We'll see about that."

Cloud and Sephiroth lunged for each other, causing a large cloud of dust to form around them. There was a sound of metal entering flesh, and then it was repeated again and again. Flashes of light were being emitted between dust clusters. The air cleared just as Cloud delivered the final blow. "This time, you will stay a memory."

All that remained of Sephiroth was a single feather. Cloud dropped his sword and turned to Tifa. "I wasn't… too late… again, was I?" he smiled at her. His eyes closed and he passed out. Tifa started to run toward him, when Barrett showed up just in time to catch him.

Tifa walked over and said, "No, you weren't too late, Cloud."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He found himself in the Forbidden City amongst the white trees. He saw a gray wolf, which trotted up to Cloud and looked up. He reciprocated the glance, but was then distracted by a woman in a familiar pink dress making her way toward him. A sudden movement brought Cloud's attention down the wolf, but there was nothing.

"Hell-llooo. We're up here, Cloud." She laughed. He looked up to see his late companions, Aerith and Zack.

"Aerith…Zack, what are you doing –" Cloud looked back and forth between the two, his eye resting on Zack who finished his sentence.

"Here? We came to visit you again." Zack said.

"Oh," was all Cloud could come up with.

"We wanted to tell you that you did it. Sephiroth is no more, not in this plane or the next. You don't need us anymore," Aerith started.

"Besides, its time we left for good. Heaven's been knocking off the hook," Zack joked, walking up his best friend and patting him on the shoulder.

A moment of silence passed as they waited for Cloud to say something. "As usual. Can't you think of anything to say?" Aerith smiled.

Cloud looked at both of them, "Thank you, both of you. For everything."

"We'll always be in your heart, Cloud. Don't forget that." Aerith stepped closer and kissed his cheek. "Its time you started you started your own family."

"I won't forget." she backed up to let Zack speak.

"Don't mess things up again. Go to Tifa and cement the relationship, man. The days of being a solitary soldier are over for you. Take care of your family." Zack said.

Cloud nodded, smiling at Zack, who walked back to Aerith's side hugging her from the back. They started to disappear.

"We will always be with you, Cloud. No matter what," Aerith's voice said.

He watched until they disappeared completely. "Thank you."

Zack's voice surrounded him, "Embrace your dreams. If you wanna be a hero, you need to have dreams."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Cloud woke up, he was in the comforts of his own clean bed. He noticed there was someone by his feet with long black hair. _Tifa_ he smiled. Trying hard not to wake her he shifted into a sitting position so he could watch her. _She looks so peaceful. I wonder how long I've been out. _He inspected his body where the injuries should have been, but found nothing. _The headaches are gone too. _

While he was lost in though, Tifa had quietly woken up. Seeing Cloud awake made her heart soar. _He's alright! _

"Good morning Tifa," his voice was velvety smooth and his eyes were intense.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting up in her chair and fixing her hair.

"Much better, thanks to you." He looked into her eyes for a moment, "Tifa, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

She looked back, "yes?"

He let out a long breath, "I love you. I want to spend everyday for the rest of our lives with you, Marlene, and Denzel."

Tifa was speechless. _He loves me? Me? _Then the shock went away and was replaced with a calm. Everything was coming together as it should. It felt right to smile and say, "I love you too, Cloud. I would love to wake up everyday with you and the kids."

They both shared a kiss that would bond them together for the rest of their lives. Things were finally looking up in the Seventh Heaven.

~The End~


End file.
